So I Made A Hozier Reading List...

Im always down for a good yap-sesh :)

guys I need to talk to someone about Hozier. please. I have so many thoughts about his lyrics and nobody to yap to. i'm taking applications

patron saint of stealing chips

well 🧍‍♀️ as a reminder this blog is NOT a safe space for trump supporters but it IS a safe place for women, queers, trans ppl, people of color, undocumented people, and any marginalized group.

How to Make Your Writing Less Stiff Part 3

Crazy how one impulsive post has quickly outshined every other post I have made on this blog. Anyway here’s more to consider. Once again, I am recirculating tried-and-true writing advice that shouldn’t have to compromise your author voice and isn’t always applicable when the narrative demands otherwise.

Part 1

Part 2

1. Eliminating to-be verbs (passive voice)

Am/is/are/was/were are another type of filler that doesn’t add anything to your sentences.

There were fireworks in the sky tonight. /// Fireworks glittered in the sky tonight.

My cat was chirping at the lights on the ceiling. /// My cat chirped at the lights on the ceiling.

She was standing /// She stood

He was running /// He ran

Also applicable in present tense, of which I’ve been stuck writing lately.

There are two fish-net goals on either end of the improvised field. /// Two fish-net goals mark either end of the improvised field.

For once, it’s a cloudless night. /// For once, the stars shine clear.

Sometimes the sentence needs a little finagling to remove the bad verb and sometimes you can let a couple remain if it sounds better with the cadence or syntax. Generally, they’re not necessary and you won’t realize how strange it looks until you go back and delete them (it also helps shave off your word count).

Sometimes the to-be verb is necessary. You're writing in past-tense and must convey that.

He was running out of time does not have the same meaning as He ran out of time, and are not interchangeable. You'd have to change the entire sentence to something probably a lot wordier to escape the 'was'. To-be verbs are not the end of the world.

2. Putting character descriptors in the wrong place

I made a post already about motivated exposition, specifically about character descriptions and the mirror trope, saying character details in the wrong place can look odd and screw with the flow of the paragraph, especially if you throw in too many.

She ties her long, curly, brown tresses up in a messy bun. /// She ties her curls up in a messy brown bun. (bonus alliteration too)

Generally, I see this most often with hair, a terrible rule of threes. Eyes less so, but eyes have their own issue. Eye color gets repeated at an exhausting frequency. Whatever you have in your manuscript, you could probably delete 30-40% of the reminders that the love interest has baby blues and readers would be happy, especially if you use the same metaphor over and over again, like gemstones.

He rolled his bright, emerald eyes. /// He rolled his eyes, a vibrant green in the lamplight.

To me, one reads like you want to get the character description out as fast as possible, so the hand of the author comes in to wave and stop the story to give you the details. Fixing it, my way or another way, stands out less as exposition, which is what character descriptions boil down to—something the audience needs to know to appreciate and/or understand the story.

3. Lacking flow between sentences

Much like sentences that are all about the same length with little variety in syntax, sentences that follow each other like a grocery list or instruction manual instead of a proper narrative are difficult to find gripping.

Jack gets out a stock pot from the cupboard. He fills it with the tap and sets it on the stove. Then, he grabs russet potatoes and butter from the fridge. He leaves the butter out to soften, and sets the pot to boil. He then adds salt to the water.

From the cupboard, Jack drags a hefty stockpot. He fills it with the tap, adds salt to taste, and sets it on the stove.

Russet potatoes or yukon gold? Jack drums his fingers on the fridge door in thought. Russet—that’s what the recipe calls for. He tosses the bag on the counter and the butter beside it to soften.

This is just one version of a possible edit to the first paragraph, not the end-all, be-all perfect reconstruction. It’s not just about having transitions, like ‘then’, it’s about how one sentence flows into the next, and you can accomplish better flow in many different ways.

4. Getting too specific with movement.

I don’t see this super often, but when it happens, it tends to be pretty bad. I think it happens because writers feel the need to overcompensate and over-clarify on what’s happening. Remember: The more specific you get, the more your readers are going to wonder what’s so important about these details. This is fiction, so every detail matters.

A ridiculous example:

Jack walks over to his closet. He kneels down at the shoe rack and tugs his running shoes free. He walks back to his desk chair, sits down, and ties the laces.

Unless tying his shoes is a monumental achievement for this character, all readers would need is:

Jack shoves on his running shoes.

*quick note: Do not add "down" after the following: Kneels, stoops, crouches, squats. The "down" is already implied in the verb.

This also happens with multiple movements in succession.

Beth enters the room and steps on her shoelace, nearly causing her to trip. She kneels and ties her shoes. She stands upright and keeps moving.

Or

Beth walks in and nearly trips over her shoelace. She sighs, reties it, and keeps moving.

Even then, unless Beth is a chronically clumsy character or this near-trip is a side effect of her being late or tired (i.e. meaningful), tripping over a shoelace is kind of boring if it does nothing for her character. Miles Morales’ untied shoelaces are thematically part of his story.

Sometimes, over-describing a character’s movement is meant to show how nervous they are—overthinking everything they’re doing, second-guessing themselves ad nauseam. Or they’re autistic coded and this is how this character normally thinks as deeply methodical. Or, you’re trying to emphasize some mundanity about their life and doing it on purpose.

If you’re not writing something where the extra details service the character or the story at large, consider trimming it.

—

These are *suggestions* and writing is highly subjective. Hope this helps!

Master Prompt List

Romantic Prompts

Romance Prompt Lists (Masterpost)

Bad romances/unrequited/break-up (Masterpost)

Flirting + Teasing Prompts (Masterpost)

Two smart and also stupid people in love

Romance Dialogue - Bubbly + Reserved

Push and pull romantic prompts

Jealousy Prompts

Things said during sex Prompts

Awkward Post-Sex Dialogue

Smut Prompts (Masterpost)

One-Liners Dialogue - Romantic, Smutty + Physical (Masterpost)

Love Language - Showing, not telling love

Love Language - Showing you care

Romance Dialogue Prompts – Uncomfortable with affection

Grumpy Affectionate Dialogue

Grumpy + Sunshine Dialogue

Inexperienced with romance Prompts

Love Confessions (Masterpost)

Lovers being caught Prompts

OTP Christmas Prompts

Meet Cutes/Meet Uglies

Relationship Milestones (Masterpost: moving in, getting married, honeymoon, having children)

Physical Reactions

Seeking out physical affection

Romantic, non-sexual intimacy prompts

Date Prompts (Masterpost)

One Night Stand Prompts

Forbidden Romance

Secret relationship dialogue

Love-hate relationship

Reluctant allies to friends to lovers dynamic

Lovers to enemies

Reasons for lovers turning to enemies

Exes to lovers Prompts (Masterpost)

Friends to lovers Prompts

Flirty friends to lovers Prompts

Friends with benefits Prompts

Friends with benefits to lovers Prompts

Enemies to friends with benefits Prompts

Enemies to friends Prompts

Best friends to lovers Prompts

Childhood friends to lovers Prompts

Childhood friends to enemies to lovers prompts

Dating the bad boy/girl

Matchmaking Prompts

Fake Dating Prompts (Masterpost)

OT3 Prompts (Masterpost)

Love Triangle Ideas

Second chance trope

OTP Prompt Challenge

Relationship Changes

Bed Sharing Scenarios

Kisses Masterpost (Prompts, First Kiss, Accidental Kiss, …)

Enemies to Lovers (Masterpost)

Ship Dynamics

WLW Plot Ideas

Fluffy Prompts

Fluffy Prompts (Masterpost)

Pregnancy Prompts

Sleepy Starters

Cute Interactions

Hand-holding

Touching

Hugs

Hugging Dialogue

Touch Starved Prompts

Touches Ask Games

Things to do at a carnival

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Quiet movie night Prompts

Having fun in the rain

Height Difference Prompts

Same Height Prompts

Caregiving Ideas

Doing nice things prompts

Love Languages

Asking for permission

Hurt/Comfort Prompts

Hurt/Comfort Prompts (Masterpost)

Injury Dialogue Prompts

Sickness Dialogue Prompts

Fighting & Making Up Prompts

Angsty Prompts

Angsty Prompts

Angsty Dialogue (Masterpost)

Leaving Dialogue Prompts

Reunion Dialogue Reactions

Unwilling goodbye + love confession prompts

Trying to make them stay Dialogue Prompts

Sacrificing Dialogue

Amnesia Prompts

Amnesia Dialogue

Bad Luck Prompts

Lover being hurt Prompts

Drama Starting Points

Conflicts for Couples 1 + 2 + 3

Betrayal Dialogue Prompts

Hiding from horror dialogue

Finding out the truth dialogue

“I’m sorry…” Apology Starters

Saying I’m sorry…

Apologizing for emotional neglect

Talking it out ideas

Keeping loved ones apart

Family Prompts

(Found) Family Prompts (Masterpost)

Friends/Fun Prompts

Friends Prompt Challenge

Platonic activities for friends

Online Friends Prompts

Group of Friends Prompts (x)

Opening Sentences (Friend group in NYC)

Road Trip Ideas

Party Games Prompts

Drunk Friendgroup

Silly Drunk Dialoguge (x)

Amusement Park Activities

Surprise party gone wrong

Settings for conversations

Having fun in the rain

Bar Conversation Starters

Girls’ night out ideas

Outside of school activities

Walking to school prompts

Rekindling Friendship Dialogue

Reconnecting Friends Prompts

Slow dancing with a friend

AU Prompts

AU ideas

Royalty AU (Masterpost)

Victorian AU Prompts

Historic Prompts - 1800s Ball Prompts

Parallel Universe Romance Prompts (x)

Roommates AU (Masterpost)

Sport Romance Prompts

College/School AU (Masterpost)

Hogwarts Prompts

Workplace AU (Masterpost)

Neighbors AU (Masterpost)

Musician/Actor/Celebrity AU (Masterpost)

Gossip Girl/Rich AUs

Coffee Shop AU (Masterpost)

Bookstore AUs

Flower Shop AUs

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Bodyguard Dialogue Prompts

Firefighter/Police AUs

Lawyer AUs

Lawyer + Client Prompts

Patient and Doctor Prompts

Groundhog Day Prompts

Pirate Prompts

Spy Prompts

Soulmates AU (Masterpost)

Lifeguard AUs

Camping Prompts

Ice Skating Prompts

Supernatural/Mystery/Thriller/Crime Prompts

Ghost Prompts (Masterpost)

Mermaid Prompts

Guardian Angel Prompts

Summoning a God Prompts

Life & Death Prompts + Dialogue

Showing aliens the human world

Murder Mystery/Thriller Prompts (Masterpost)

Survival Game Prompts

Partners in Crime – Meeting again

FBI mentor and mentee prompts

Assassins Banter Dialogue

Assassin x Target Prompts

Heist Prompts

Hero x Villain (Masterpost)

Falling for the kidnapper prompts

Causes for the apocalypse

Post-apocalyptic romance prompts

Fantasy/Sci-Fi Masterpost  (Werewolves, Vampires, Time Travel, etc.)

Holiday/Seasonal Prompts

Holiday/Seasonal/Monthly Prompts (Masterpost)

Birthday AUs

Birthday Prompts

Ranked Prompt Lists

Ranked Lists (Top 20 Lists, Best Prompts/Posts of the Year)

Various Prompt Lists

Random Prompt Lists (Drabbles, Dialogues, One Word Prompts,…)

Favourite Tropes

5 + 1 Fic Prompts

‘Write about’ Prompts

‘Imagine your OTP’ Prompts

All The Fic Titles

All The Prompts List

List of Names

Writing Games

Ask Games

Daily Writing Challenge

30 Days Writing Challenge

AU & Trope Combos

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